James Ihedigbo Facing Suspension
Free agent safety James Ihedigbo, linebacker Jason Fanaika, and long snapper Josh Latham will all have to serve suspensions if/when they sign with teams, according to Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (on Twitter). They are all facing four-game bans, though the causes for each are not immediately clear. 
Last year, Ihedigbo hooked on with the Bills in November and became a starter almost immediately. Unfortunately, the veteran landed on IR weeks later and never returned. In February, the veteran expressed interest in returning to Buffalo, but we haven’t heard his name mentioned much otherwise this offseason. The 33-year-old (34 in December) may be past his prime, but he’s not all that far removed from his best career year which came in 2014.
Fanaika signed a futures deal with the Steelers in the winter but did not make it into the summer with Pittsburgh. Latham was picked up by the Jets in February but was released in late April just prior to the draft.
Bucs Sign WR Chris Godwin, Wrap Draft Class
The Buccaneers announced the signing of third round wide receiver Chris Godwin. The deal means that every member of the team’s 2017 draft class has now been inked. 
Godwin, a Penn State product, recorded 154 catches for 2,421 yards and 18 touchdowns over his three seasons on campus. With the Bucs, he can pitch in as both a slot receiver and an outside option, depending on how he’s needed. Godwin represents one of two major additions at wide receiver for the team this year, along with free agent pickup DeSean Jackson.
Here’s the complete rundown of Tampa Bay’s draft class:
- 1-19: O.J. Howard, TE (Alabama)
- 2-50: Justin Evans, S (Texas A&M)
- 3-84: Chris Godwin, WR (Penn State)
- 3-107: Kendell Beckwith, LB (LSU)
- 5-162: Jeremy McNichols, RB (Boise State)
- 7-223: Steve Tu’ikolovatu, DT (USC)
Jets Were Planning To Release Calvin Pryor
No surprise here, but the Jets were planning to release Calvin Pryor before completing a Thursday morning trade with the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Rather than cutting him outright, the Jets got something instead of nothing and the Browns got to scoop up the former first-round pick without competing with other clubs. 
[RELATED: Jets Trade Safety Calvin Pryor To Browns]
The Jets are hoping that linebacker Demario Davis will perform like he did during his first Jets stint. However, if he has regressed, they can cut him without financial penalty because his $3.7MM salary is not guaranteed. Had they released Pryor, they would have been on the hook for his $1.6MM salary.
Pryor’s shaky status with Gang Green has been the worst kept secret in football for much of the offseason. When the Jets used their first two draft picks on safeties, that all but sealed his fate. When Pryor skipped out on the early part of OTAs, something finally had to give.
Eagles Waive LB Steven Daniels
The Eagles have waived linebacker Steven Daniels. It was a short stay for Daniels, who was claimed off waivers from the Redskins just last month. 
In his final year at Boston College, Daniels tallied 82 total tackles, including 16.0 tackles for a loss and 6.0 sacks. The Redskins went on to use a seventh-round pick on him in 2016, but he never saw live action thanks to a torn labrum.
The Eagles did not select a linebacker in the draft this year (first-round pick Derek Barnett profiles more as a defensive end), so it seemed like Daniels had a shot at making the final cut. For one reason or another, he has been jettisoned long before that point.
Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks, and Mychal Kendricks project as the starting linebackers for the Eagles with Kamu Grugier-Hill, Najee Goode, Joe Walker, Alex McCalister, and fifth-round pick Nate Gerry among those pushing for reserve jobs.
Jets Trade Safety Calvin Pryor To Browns
The Jets are trading former first-round pick Calvin Pryor to the Browns, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). In return, the Jets are getting linebacker Demario Davis, a player who spent multiple seasons as a starter in New York before leaving for Cleveland in free agency. The Browns have since confirmed the trade via press release.
“Calvin is a young, experienced safety that has upside,” said Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown. “We are pleased to be able to add him to our defensive back room and just like every player we acquire, we expect him to come in with a hard-working mindset ready to compete. DeMario is a guy that we developed the utmost respect for in his time with our team, not only as a professional but also as a person. We appreciate all he did for our organization in his time in Cleveland.”
Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” Pryor was drafted by the old regime with the hope that his hard-hitting style would elevate the team’s secondary. Unfortunately, he has not been able to produce in his three NFL seasons and the new regime didn’t have much use for him after drafting LSU’s Jamal Adams No. 6 overall and Florida’s Marcus Maye in the second round. The Jets couldn’t find a trade partner for Pryor prior to the 2017 draft, but they have struck a deal today with Cleveland.
Pryor would probably like to start at strong safety for the Browns, but that job might already belong to first round pick Jabrill Peppers. Still, there’s no reason why he can’t find work as a key reserve. Although he doesn’t fit the Jets plans, the advanced metrics are higher on him than you might think. In his first two NFL seasons, Pro Football Focus had Pryor ranked as a top-50 safety in the NFL. Last year, he took a slight step back, but he still earned a better score than Derrick Kindred and Ibraheim Campbell, two safeties who are hoping to stick on the Browns’ 53-man roster.
Davis saw part-time action in his rookie season after being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the Jets, but started every game for the team from 2012-2015. In 2015, his final year with the Jets, he totaled 89 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery. Davis inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Browns in March 2016 and he’s now headed back to New York to complete the final year of that pact. He’ll make a $3.7MM salary this year, though it is completely non-guaranteed.
Browns Sign Christian Kirksey To Extension
The Browns announced they signed linebacker Christian Kirksey to a four-year contract extension. It’s a four-year, $38MM deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Will Mitch Trubisky Be The Highest-Impact Rookie Quarterback?]
The new deal makes Kirksey the fifth-highest paid player in Cleveland. After Kirksey led the team with 140 tackles – putting him nearly 50 tackles ahead of the next-highest producer – it was no surprise to hear that the Browns were working to extend him this spring. He also graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 22nd best LB last season, putting him ahead of notables such as Brian Cushing, Mark Barron, Ryan Shazier, and Danny Trevathan.
First round picks in the 2014 draft will have to wait one more year before signing extensions with their respective teams, but Kirksey was able to get himself some security this offseason as a former third rounder. His selection proved to be one of the best things to happen to the team under the watch of former GM Mike Lombardi.
This year, the Browns will move Kirksey from inside linebacker to the weak side in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams‘ 4-3 scheme. According to Over The Cap, if the deal were to kick in today, it would make Kirksey the third highest-paid 4-3 outside linebacker in the NFL.
Latest On Redskins RB Matt Jones
Running back Matt Jones continues to stay away from the Redskins’ voluntary offseason practices as the second week gets underway. Apparently, that’s not going to change anytime soon. Jones is instead working out in Florida after coaches informed him that he is not a part of the team’s plans for 2017, a source tells Mike Jones of The Washington Post. 
This year, the Redskins are expected to lean heavily on Rob Kelley while rookie Samaje Perine gets a decent cut of the carries. In addition to those two, Chris Thompson projects as the pass-catching specialist and Keith Marshall and/or Mack Brown should be able to make the final cut. That leaves Jones without a real role. He had some hype not long ago, but he was a healthy scratch most of last year and he was dangled prior to the draft in April.
Jones is a powerful back, but he has struggled to hold on to the football having fumbled four times as a rookie and twice in 2016. Other teams, we imagine, would have serious interest in claiming him if Washington decides to put him on the waiver wire.
Rams Sign QB Dylan Thompson
The Rams have signed quarterback Dylan Thompson, according to a team announcement. To make room, running back De’Mard Llorens has been waived. 
The deal marks Thompson’s second stint with Los Angeles. Last year, he was with the Rams in the preseason before being dropped just prior to the 75-man cut. This time around, he might just have a chance of making the 53-man roster. As of this writing, he is the team’s QB3 behind starter Jared Goff and primary backup Sean Mannion.
Llorens, a product of Northwestern State, finished tenth all-time in school history with 2,381 rushing yards and scored 180 points in his time on campus. The hope was that he would follow fellow NSU alum offensive tackle Pace Murphy by making L.A.’s 53-man roster, but he’ll now have to try and stick somewhere else. The Rams’ running back group is headlined by starter Todd Gurley with support from former Cowboy Lance Dunbar, Malcolm Brown, and Aaron Green. USC rookie Justin Davis and Southern product Lenard Tillery are also on the 90-man.
AFC Notes: Chiefs, Browns, Kap, Bills
The latest news and notes from the AFC:
- The Chiefs have announced several changes to their front office, including the hiring of Tim Terry as director of pro personnel and the promotion of Ryan Poles from college scouting coordinator to director of college scouting. Terry is joining his second NFL organization after spending the first 13 years of his career in Green Bay, where he was most recently the team’s assistant director of pro personnel. General manager John Dorsey was in the Packers’ front office before the Chiefs hired him in 2013, so he’s already familiar with Terry. Kansas City’s Dorsey-led front office also pried Chris Shea away from Philadelphia. Shea, the Chiefs’ new salary cap and legal executive, previously served as the Eagles’ director of scouting administration.
- Former NFL head coach and current 49ers assistant Eric Mangini believes that Colin Kaepernick would be a great fit for the Browns. “I think as the market settles and people start looking at these young quarterbacks they brought in and start evaluating the quarterback situation, they might realize it may not look as good as they hoped it would be,” Mangini told PFT. “I always thought he would be a good fit for the Browns. Hue [Jackson’s] system is multiple shifts and motions, and that’s what he did in San Francisco. Hue has an element of quarterback-driven runs, I think Colin is excellent as that. As a candidate, him vs. RGIII a year ago, I’d take Colin 10 times out of 10.” So far, the Browns have shown no interest in Kaepernick. To date, only Seattle has given him a real look.
- Currently, the Bills are not projected to receive any 2018 compensatory picks because they signed more unrestricted free agents (seven) to qualifying contracts than they lost to other teams (five). However, the Bills can change that, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. By releasing a total of four of their seven signed free agents between now and Week 10, the Bills would be projected to tack on two compensatory picks – one being a third-rounder for losing cornerback Stephon Gilmore plus a fourth-rounder for losing wide receiver Robert Woods. The most likely UFAs to go, in Rodak’s estimation, are defensive end Ryan Davis, offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, and wide receiver Andre Holmes. To secure that fourth-round pick, they could also cut fullback Patrick DiMarco or kicker Steven Hauschka.
ESPN Hires Chip Kelly
It doesn’t sound like we’ll be seeing former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly on the sidelines for a college or NFL team this season. Kelly has signed on with ESPN as a studio analyst, according to a press release from the network. 
[RELATED: Chip Kelly Did Not Have Interest In Alabama’s OC Job]
“Over the last 30 years, I have experienced football from one perspective — as a coach,” Kelly said in a statement. “Working in television will allow me to see the game from a different angle; simultaneously, I’ll provide viewers an insight to the mindset of a coach and team while offering alternative views of various situations. Once I decided to make the move to TV, my familiarity with ESPN, combined with their high-quality production and vital role in college football, it was easily the best network suited for me.”
It’s a multi-year contract for Kelly and ESPN, though deals for coaching types typically come with out clauses. It’s unlikely that Kelly will break his pact in the coming months, but he’ll probably have his hat in the ring for opportunities in 2018, whether that be in in the professional or collegiate ranks. A report back in March indicated that Kelly was looking to find work in the NFL as an assistant, leading him to TV.
Kelly, 53, coached the Eagles for three years before a trying 2016 season with San Francisco. The offensive-minded coach went 26-21 as the coach of the Eagles but his 49ers went 2-14 last year. Before jumping to the NFL, Kelly amassed a 46-7 record at Oregon. He’ll be providing insight on both NFL and college games for ESPN.